7 Fun Recipes to Heat Up Your August!

August is here, which to Washingtonians means the beautiful Pacific Northwest outdoors is in full business for leisure and play. Another month of sun glistening over the beaches of Puget Sound and Lake Washington are the pride and joy of many a Seattlite. The patios, parks, and gardens of Western Washington are the bright and balmy living room, kitchen, and dining room for most residents this August.

Here are 7 summer recipes to try out this August…

Whole Fish Roasted with Potatoes and Thyme

ACTIVE: 30 MIN

TOTAL TIME: 1 HR

SERVINGS: 6

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved

18 small cipollini onions or large shallots, peeled and quartered

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

12 sprigs of thyme

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Two 2-pound cleaned whole black bass, striped bass or other sea bass

1 lemon, thinly sliced, plus a lemon half, for squeezing

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 425° and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, toss the potatoes and onions with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 4 thyme sprigs and season with salt and pepper. Spread on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are blistered in spots and barely tender.

Rub both fish all over with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil; season generously with salt. Stuff the cavities with the lemon slices and the remaining 8 thyme sprigs. Stir the potatoes, pushing them toward the sides, and set the fish on the baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, until the fish are just cooked through and the potatoes and onions are tender.

Transfer the potatoes and onions to a platter. Using two forks, pull the skin off the top of the fish and discard. Remove the fillets from the bones and transfer to the platter. Squeeze the lemon juice over the fish, potatoes and onions, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small skillet, combine 1/4 cup of the stock with the shallot and garlic and cook over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Add the quinoa, wheat berries, thyme and bay leaf. Add 1 cup of the stock and bring to a simmer. Scrape the mixture into a 9-inch square baking dish, cover with foil and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the quinoa and wheat berries are tender. Remove the pilaf from the oven and keep covered.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and brown them in the skillet over moderately high heat, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Add the dried pears, apricots and cherries to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add the port and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining 1 cup of stock and simmer over moderately high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Add the pork chops and any accumulated juices and cook over moderate heat, turning the pork a few times, until it is hot and just cooked, about 2 minutes.

Uncover the pilaf and fluff it with a fork; season with salt and pepper. Mound the pilaf on plates. Set the pork chops on the pilaf, top with the fruit sauce and serve.

In a bowl, toss the chicken with the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise and the shallot. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, mix the carrots with the pickled onions and their liquid and let stand for 1 hour.

Heat a grill pan. Grill the chicken and shallot slices over high heat until charred and the chicken is just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.

Spread mayonnaise on the cut sides of the baguette, then spread with Sriracha. On the bottom half, layer the carrots, onions and cucumber, then top with the chicken and shallots. Lay cilantro sprigs over the chicken and close the sandwich. Cut crosswise into 6 pieces and serve.

Ginger-Marinated Bulgogi-Style Chicken

TOTAL TIME: 30 MIN PLUS 2 HR MARINATING

SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons toasted-sesame oil

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 scallions, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast cutlets, pounded 1/3 inch thick

Vegetable oil, for brushing

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, vinegar, pepper, scallions, garlic, ginger and 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for up to 4 hours.

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Oil the grates. Remove the chicken from the marinade and brush lightly with oil. Grill over moderate heat, turning once, until lightly charred and cooked through, 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, thinly slice and serve.

In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil with the rice. Cover and simmer over moderately low heat until tender, 45 minutes.

In a medium skillet, cook the onion and garlic in the butter over moderate heat until softened. Stir in the rice, season with salt and pepper, cover and keep warm.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the shrimp and 1/2 teaspoon of the rosemary; season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, turning once, until just white throughout; transfer to a plate.

Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the skillet; increase the heat to moderately high. Add half of the squid and 1/4 teaspoon of the rosemary; season with salt and pepper. Cook, turning once, until the squid is just firm, 1 minute; transfer to the plate. Repeat with the remaining squid, 1/2 tablespoon of oil and 1/4 teaspoon of rosemary.

Add the wine to the skillet and cook for 1 minute, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Stir in the tomato sauce and the seafood; cook just until heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Mound the rice on plates, top with the seafood and sauce and serve right away.

In a food processor, finely chop the garlic, lemongrass and shallots. Add the sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, vegetable oil and soy sauce and process to a paste. In a large shallow dish, coat the pork with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

In a large bowl, cover the rice vermicelli with cold water and let soak until pliable, about 20 minutes.

In a mortar, using a pestle, pound the garlic cloves to a paste with the chiles and sugar. Stir in the fish sauce, cilantro, mint, lime juice and water.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Drain the rice vermicelli and add it to the boiling water. Cook, stirring, until barely tender, about 1 minute. Drain the vermicelli. Rinse the vermicelli in cold water and drain thoroughly. Transfer the vermicelli to a large bowl, add the cilantro-and-mint dressing and toss well. Scatter the sliced cucumbers over the rice-vermicelli salad.

Light a grill. Lift the pork slices from the marinade, leaving on some of the flavorings. Grill the pork over a hot fire until nicely charred, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the pork to plates and serve with the rice-vermicelli salad. Pass the Carrot and Daikon Pickles at the table.

MAKE AHEAD

The marinated pork and the dressing for the rice-vermicelli salad can be refrigerated overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a medium bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of the yogurt with the garlic, garam masala and curry powder. Add the chicken strips and stir until they are thoroughly coated with the yogurt-spice mixture.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Add the sliced jalapeños, red onion and coated chicken strips, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the chicken strips are just white throughout, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and let stand for 1 minute to let the chicken, jalapeños and red onion cool slightly. Fold the remaining 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons of yogurt into the chicken, jalapeños and red onion until well combined.

Heat the pita breads in the oven, about 30 seconds. Set the pitas on plates and top each one with a lettuce leaf, tomato wedges and cucumber slices. Spoon the chicken in yogurt sauce on top and serve right away.